Diablo 15 Year Anniversary

All Hell breaks loose…

was one of the original advertising slogans for Diablo, and to this day it feels appropriately prophetic. When we unleashed Diablo at the end of 1996, we were proud of the game and eager to share it with anyone willing to delve into the deepest, darkest dungeons on a quest to destroy a legendary evil.

The series is now 15 years old, and it’s changed and grown in a number of ways, some of which we couldn’t have possibly anticipated when we started work on our first action-RPG. Diablo’s continued legacy is due, first and foremost, to a great community that embraced the series’ unique brand of multiplayer gaming – a community that continues to find ways to coax more secrets and power out of the world of Sanctuary.

Diablo

In Diablo, you portrayed a valiant rogue, sorcerer, or warrior scouring the catacombs beneath the tiny town of Tristram for an evil that threatened to infest the entire world – Diablo, the Lord of Terror.

A rarity for many high-profile game launches at the time, Diablo was released for both Macintosh and Windows PCs, broadening the number of people who could enjoy it. In addition to pitting players against a seemingly endless horde of demons, undead, and vile creatures to hack through, Diablo enabled those hungry for a more social gaming experience to take part in multiplayer through our online service Battle.net.

Remember:

The first time you heard the Butcher say, “Ah, fresh meat!”

The opening chords of the Tristram town theme?

Slamming Diablo’s soulstone into your hero’s forehead?

Diablo II

Diablo II brought a four-act structure to the series, and the sequel saw heroes travelling to more diverse parts of Sanctuary than ever before. In Diablo II, you battled several of the most dangerous denizens of the Burning Hells, including two of the Lesser Evils, Diablo’s brother Mephisto, and, of course, the Lord of Terror himself. Bringing the distant angels of the High Heavens into play gave the Diablo series a new scope and a different approach to traditional “good vs evil” storytelling.

Diablo II’s five unique classes (amazon, barbarian, necromancer, paladin, and sorceress) broadened the core archetypes of the previous game, and the customizable skill trees made these classes feel markedly different from one another. New mechanics – sockets, gems, dual wielding, hirelings, and more – rounded out the series’ renowned feeling of constant progression, and of developing your hero to your specifications. Updates to Battle.net also made it easier than ever for you to party up, engage in thrilling duels, and hunt down valuable artifacts while adventuring online.

Remember:

Dying to Duriel in Act 2?

The Secret Cow Level?

Transforming items in the Horadric Cube?

“Tyrael’s” conversation with Marius in the asylum?

Seeing other characters decked out in amazing gear in Battle.net chat?

Lord of Destruction

In Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, you hunted down Baal, one of the Prime Evils and the brother of Diablo, as he ravaged the Barbarians of Arreat in search of the Worldstone, a priceless relic tied into the fabric of the world of Sanctuary. Lord of Destruction also added two new classes to Diablo II’s roster: the druid, a versatile master of shape-shifting, summoning, and elemental magic; and the assassin, a practitioner of mental disciplines, skilled in the use of traps and deadly martial arts.

Further depth was added to Diablo II’s already prodigious item list with rune words, charms, jewels, and new item properties like “ethereal”; and changes to the game allowed for hirelings to level up and equip items, laying the groundwork for Diablo III’s followers.

We look to Diablo’s legacy and the passionate player community for inspiration – they drive us to make Diablo III the best entry in the series yet. We hope you’ll enjoy playing it as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it.